Tobacco Control: Reversal of Risk After Quitting Smoking (IARC Handbooks of Cancer Prevention in Tobacco Control)

This 11th IARC Handbook of Cancer Prevention, and the first in a series focusing on Tobacco Control, presents a comprehensive review of the scientific literature, and a thorough evaluation, made by an international group of experts, of the evidence for changes in the risk of cancer, coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, abdominal aortic aneurysm, peripheral artery disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease observed following smoking cessation.

Does the risk of dying from or of developing each of the above-cited diseases decrease after smoking cessation? What is the time course of the change in risk? With long durations of cessation, does the risk return to that of never-smokers? The review and evaluations presented in the Handbook answer these questions and identify relevant public health and research recommendations.

The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) is part of the World Health Organization. IARC's mission is to coordinate and conduct research on the causes of human cancer, the mechanisms of carcinogenesis, and to develop scientific strategies for cancer control. The Agency is involved in both epidemiological and laboratory research and disseminates scientific information through publications, meetings, courses, and fellowships.